He believes it was his initial naivety and impetuousness which served Lasan so well. The Indian restaurant has become a popular and profitable haunt but struggled for years on a side street off St Paul’s Square with little passing trade.

Today, Mr Khan accepted it was at best a risky move to take on that location but believes it was those initial struggles building a customer base from nowhere which are the real story of Lasan’s success.

He said: “I was so naive and ignorant I just went for it. Sometimes knowledge can be crippling – knowing a lot can hold you back. I had £11,000 borrowed from the family and tried to get a bank loan.”

Mr Khan admits to a rather dubious start in the restaurant industry – he went to work for his uncle, only to be served notice before he began.

But the actual inspiration to open an Indian restaurant was to get away from the sort of cuisine associated with the subcontinent but not really served there.

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He explained: “A lot of what I have learned is what not to do. I have learned from customers who come in and see 150 dishes on a menu who say ‘I have been to India and never seen any of these’. So I thought I will never serve any food I don’t enjoy eating myself. How else can you expect customers to enjoy it?”

Before starting Lasan, Mr Khan joined an agency supplying kitchen and bar staff, on top of his full-time job, to gain insight into the industry.

He eventually clubbed together £11,000 and with the help of family and friends managed to get things moving.

From there, he sought to learn by entering restaurant competitions. While generally this is done for a pat on the back, Mr Khan said he was seeking self-development – soaking in expert views as well as free publicity.

And it was from there Lasan rose to national consciousness when Gordon Ramsey named it his “Best Local Restaurant” on his television series The F Word.

Despite the success, Mr Khan and Mr Islam opted not to open Lasans in other cities.

“The biggest problem with doing that route is standards,” Mr Khan explained. “You have to have someone who can cook a wonderful meal. If there aren’t the people of that standard then you shouldn’t open a restaurant – it is about more than just making money.

“Given the shortage of Indian chefs, we decided there was no reason we should just do Indian food.